This gadget will make meditation easier than you ever thought it was

Plus 5 mindfulness apps you need to get now

Muse – the brain sensing headband

Type meditation on Google and you’ll find endless results of its benefits on your mind, body and soul. In theory, you’ve always wanted to make it a part of your daily schedule. But in reality, when was the last time you took five minutes out of your busy life and dedicated it to a session of calm and peace? Enter Muse: a headband that tracks your brain’s senses and measures its signals to help you get into a meditative state.

This ‘brain fitness tool’ comes with seven sensors—two on the forehead, two behind the ears and three reference sensors—to detect the activity of your brain.

Seems a bit intimidating? Before anything, the makers point out that Muse has been tested and certified in accordance with Canadian, USA and European regulatory standards (FCC, UL, CE). Now, let’s get to how you can use it to ‘switch off’.

Once you connect the band to an app on your phone via Bluetooth and put it on, it tunes itself to your brain and takes a snapshot of it in its active state—this is used as a reference to understand your brain signals. It literally senses your mental state, and functions accordingly with sounds that will ensure you don’t steer away from your calm state. It tracks your progress and motivates you to improve and eventually helps achieve a more focused and composed mind.

Muse, Brain Sensing Headband is available on Amazon.com

While you wait for your band to arrive, here are some meditation apps you can download right now to get started:

1 / 5

Sleep Easily by Shazzie

The effects of insomnia and sleepless nights are often underrated. This app helps you relax your body and mind through a guided meditation, written and read by author Shazzie. Her 26-minute recording includes sounds and music, and specifically designed combinations of healing frequencies that put you into a deep, meditative sleep.

Available on App Store and Play Store

2 / 5

Headspace

All you need to do is dedicate 10 minutes of your day to Headspace, and it will ‘train your mind’ and teach you everything about meditation. The app tracks your progress and allow you to encourage your friends through a buddy system, and keeps sending your reminders to continue. Emma Watson says, “it’s kind of genius.”

Available on App Store and Play Store

3 / 5

The Mindfulness App

Guided and silent meditations that range from three to 30 minutes, and a special library of some of the world’s best teachers—this app will help you on your personal journey to awakening.

Available on App Store and Play Store

4 / 5

Buddhify

This app has a meditative session for every mood—with 15 different customised recordings for different parts of your day—whether you’re travelling, working or going to sleep.

Available on App Store and Play Store

5 / 5

Room to Breathe Meditation

If you keep getting distracted, and find it difficult to not let your thoughts get in the way, this app will help you concentrate on your breathing, which is key to switching off. The 15-minute guided breathing meditation has step-by-step instructions to help you focus on your breath and reduce weary thoughts.